Ex-Navy officer brought teddy bear to Long Island child sex sting — now he’s going to prison

He flew in from Maryland, booked a hotel and brought a teddy bear

When Douglas Engstrom arrived at Valley Stream’s train station in December 2023, he was carrying a big teddy bear — a gift, he thought, for the 13-year-old girl he had traveled from Maryland to meet for sex.

Instead, the 38-year-old former U.S. Navy officer was met — and arrested — by federal agents.

On Tuesday, the Hanover, Maryland, man pleaded guilty in Central Islip federal court to attempting to lure the child, who in reality was an undercover officer, into a sexual encounter.

He also admitted to possessing more than 600 images and videos of child sexual abuse material.

Engstrom acknowledged in court before U.S. District Judge Nusrat Choudhury that he communicated online with the supposed teenager and explicitly described the lurid sex acts he intended to perform on her, including while she was unconscious.

He then booked a flight and hotel room and traveled from Maryland to New York to bring the plan to fruition.

He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison and up to life.

“The defendant, who was a member of the Navy when he committed his crimes, was convicted of preying on someone he believed to be an innocent 13-year-old girl,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. said in a statement.

“This prosecution demonstrates that we will use every law enforcement tool available to prosecute and punish to the fullest extent of the law predators who exploit the most vulnerable among us: children,” he added.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle, Jr. said Engstrom “exploited some of our most vulnerable citizens — children — to satisfy his perverted desires.”

Anyone with information about sexual exploitation by Engstrom is asked to contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 212.384.1000.

_{Top: Teddy bear (Photo by Carter Baran) and federal courthouse in Central Islip (Google Maps Street View).}